Rooftop Supper | In The Garden
Nothing says summer quite like a rooftoop cookout overlooking the District. Add in garden-to-grill preparation of locally sourced and farm fresh ingredients by Timber Pizza— meal made.
This Makers Meal illuminated the dynamic relationship between grower and chef, with guests experiencing in each bite the increasingly small gap between our food and the table. Drawing on Latin flavors from her Argentine roots, Timber’s Executive Chef Daniela Moreira designed a summer supper in close collaboration with Natalie Carver, Horticulture Director for Love & Carrots, a woman-owned company dedicated to expanding urban agriculture and gardening knowledge across the city.
Kicking off the evening, Kat Hamidi of Capitoline Vermouth, DC's first commercially available small-batch vermouth, crafted a summer cocktail for guests to enjoy upon arrival. A base of Capitoline Rosé muddled with fresh strawberries and mint and topped with Prosecco, this refreshing cocktail was paired with two canapes: a choripan of Argentine chorizo and purple cabbage, and a mini veggie wrap of locally sourced cucumbers, carrots, nectarine, jalapeño and cilantro.
Guests moved to the rooftop where a communal table was set for 20 and garnished with local flowers and hop vines. The lush green backdrop of the Love & Carrots garden invited guests to walk through the vegetable and herb beds. Natalie led them in a tutorial on homegrown culinary gardens and shared an inside look at how Love & Carrots and Timber collaborate.
Transitioning to the table, ANXO Cidery introduced guests to a crisp selection of DC-made ciders: Snowdrift, Rosé and Cidre Blanc. These ciders paired with the first few courses, including the humita, a chilled corn soup topped with crab and crispy onion, and the burnt nectarine salad featuring herbs from Love & Carrots garden.
The meatier dishes like the empanadas, which took a modern spin by highlighting pastrami and brisket from Epic Curing, subbed for the traditional beef filling, and camarones asados (grilled shrimp) passed family style around the table. These dishes paired with the 2013 Rendezvous by RdV Vineyards out of Delaplane, Virginia. This fruit-driven red blend complemented the supper mains along with the summer sundae featuring Dolcezza’s blueberry jam gelato topped with garden-harvested mint and granola.
*All photos © Anna Darlak Photography
